Is The Universe Eternal?
Question: How do we respond to the claim that the Universe is eternal, it has always existed so we don’t need a God to explain its existence?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
The Kalam Cosmological Argument
There are a number of water-tight arguments for the universe being created. For example, the Kalam Cosmological Argument proves that the existence of everything in the universe is finite and created. How so? Well, if the universe was eternal, meaning there was no beginning to it, then we would not exist.
This is because our existence would be tantamount to reaching the end of infinity. This is impossible.
Put in another way, if you started counting to get to infinity – the point at which a new universe would come into existence because of your reaching infinity – when would that happen? How much time would you need? The answer is it would never happen because you cannot reach the end of infinity. The same applies to our existence.
Who Created God?
The same argument dismantles the false ideas people have about the Creator. They ask ‘If God created the universe, who created him?’ They would keep asking the same question forever, due to the same logic as before, or they can accept that there is one, uncreated Creator who made everything.
I recommend you take a course on ‘Aqida with us, and maybe even have a look at a valuable resource called ‘God, Islam, and the Skeptic Mind.’
May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
